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Education isn’t a scoreboard—it’s a future. Representative Terry Alexander joins us to open the black box of South Carolina’s Education Oversight Committee, explain how standards get set, and question whether rising rankings reflect real learning or just better spin. We talk plainly about what data can and can’t tell us, where budgets actually land, and why too many graduates still need remedial classes even as spending climbs.

From the difference between standards and curriculum to the messy politics of federal shakeups and states’ rights, we follow the threads that tie policy to classrooms. The voucher debate takes center stage: who truly benefits when public dollars follow a student to private schools, and who gets left out when families must cover the gap? Terry offers a grounded view on equity, access, and accountability—across teachers, administrators, the state, and parents—showing how any weak link undermines the whole.

We also look forward. Community-led charter schools, especially those anchored by Black churches and local partners, emerge as a powerful model to pair high standards with relevant, culturally rooted learning. We spotlight Florence’s visible progress—new facilities, stronger performance—and talk about how resources, libraries, and civic will can turn buildings into real opportunity. If we want students ready for a global, digital world, we need to fund classrooms first, teach for mastery over metrics, and build schools that fit our kids.

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Real change at home often starts with small, repeatable habits: a shared meal, a calm conversation, a clear boundary. We invited Elder Alexis Pipkins to walk us through the Strengthening Families Program and how 11 structured sessions help parents and kids trade conflict for connection. From the first dinner to the final booster, this skills-based approach (not therapy) leans on the five protective factors—parental resilience, social connections, concrete support, parenting knowledge, and social-emotional development—to make families stronger where it counts most: daily life.

We talk about who can join—any caregiver of a child aged six to seventeen—and what to expect each week: parents and children learn in separate groups, then reunite to practice family skills. You’ll hear practical tools that work in real homes, like reward charts that motivate, family meetings that give children a voice, and positive discipline that teaches instead of punishes. We dive into ACEs and risk factors with clear language, and we show how coaches deliver the model with fidelity while adapting to local needs across Lee, Florence, Darlington, Williamsburg, and Sumter Counties.

Barriers don’t get ignored here; they get removed. Site coordinators help with transportation, gas cards, childcare, and connections to utilities assistance, food banks, and partners who sponsor meals. We also spotlight male engagement, volunteer opportunities, and why the dinner table is more than furniture—it’s a ritual that anchors listening, choices, and bonding. Stay to the end for enrollment details, upcoming cycles hosted at Savannah Grove, and ways to refer a family through Children’s Trust.

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What if fatherhood support felt practical, human, and free of judgment? We sat down with the Man to Man Fatherhood Initiative team to explore how their intervention specialists help dads steady work, court, and home—so kids see a parent who shows up consistently and with purpose.

We start where many fathers need help most: employment. The team runs a hands‑on job development boot camp that covers resumes, interviews, body language, punctuality, and the hidden world of digital footprints. Employers visit for live conversations, Friday brings a confidence‑boosting graduation, and financial literacy ties it all together so a new job turns into a lasting career. Alongside this, Reality Check goes into high schools and adult education to map real‑life choices—education, job, marriage, then children—while also preparing teens to navigate co‑parenting, child support, and detours when life happens out of order.

Legal stress often shadows families, so we dig into how Man to Man supports parents through family court, visitation modifications, CPS treatment plans, and up‑to‑date child support guidance. This is practical help paired with dignity: clear information, realistic timelines, and connections to legal aid, housing, and vocational rehab. Health anchors the work too. Men’s mental health groups, blood pressure and cancer screenings with community partners, and a welcoming space to decompress give fathers room to breathe and plan. From Florence to Darlington, Marlboro, Dillon, and Marion counties—and even inside prisons for reentry planning—the program tracks progress, serves meals during sessions, and stays present long after the paperwork.

Results are measurable and moving: licenses restored, jobs kept, parent‑child bonds rebuilt, and teens thinking further ahead. Services are 100% free, backed by strong reporting and community support, as the initiative celebrates 25 years of impact. If this mission resonates, help spread the word—subscribe, share this episode with a friend who could use it, and leave a review to help more dads find a path forward. Your support helps a father take the next step.

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What does it take to rebuild the village around a family—practically, not just in words? We sat down with Representative Robert Williams to trace the journey from a fatherhood , to a comprehensive Families Engagement Program serving parents, youth, veterans, and seniors across the PEE DEE area. The throughline is simple and powerful: exposure, consistency, and community support can change a household’s trajectory.

We dive into school‑based mentoring where neighbors, not teachers, meet students where they are and open doors to real careers—medicine, broadcasting, public service, and the skilled trades. Sports mentoring in golf, tennis, and basketball becomes a training ground for discipline and teamwork. Monthly workshops focus on relationships, conflict reduction, and social skills that cut through online noise and reduce harmful peer dynamics. The program also champions youth volunteering to reintroduce a service mindset—small acts like carrying groceries or holding a door that rebuild trust and strengthen soft skills employers value.

Money skills anchor long‑term change. We unpack budgeting basics, habits for saving even small amounts, and the path from credit repair to homeownership so families can build equity and legacy. Environmental awareness projects at local schools connect daily choices to community health. And for those who served and those in their golden years, we highlight resources, VA benefits navigation, mental health support, ceremonies that honor service, and practical transportation to medical appointments and activities. With plans for dedicated vans and an annual October golf tournament funding the mission, this is a blueprint for making care visible.

If this vision of a living, working village resonates, share the episode with a friend, subscribe for more conversations like this, and leave a review to help others find the show. What’s one small action you’ll take this week to strengthen a family near you?

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What if the single most powerful lever in education isn’t a new curriculum or app, but a teacher who truly knows the student? We sit down with Dr. Larry Jackson—former superintendent and now executive director of the PEE DEE Education Center—to explore how personal connection, consistent family “non-negotiables,” and community partnership lift kids higher than any quick fix. From interest inventories to real-life examples, he shows why engagement beats poverty, and why the best classrooms are built on trust, relevance, and care.

We take a hard look at school choice and the Education Scholarship Trust Fund, tracing how tax dollars gave way to lottery funds and what that means for equity, public schools, and the future of honest curriculum. Dr. Jackson doesn’t stop at critique; he challenges churches and community anchors to seize the same opportunities, launch excellent schools, and protect rigorous, truthful learning. If the rules change, our communities can adapt—and lead.

Technology and AI enter the spotlight as tools, not saviors. We talk about practical guardrails for academic integrity, the risk of outsourcing thinking, and smart ways to use digital resources to deepen, not dilute, student voice. Parents get a playbook too: homework expectations, summer learning, reading habits, and proactive communication that turns schools from silos into true partners. The takeaway is clear: when adults align—teachers, administrators, and families—students rise.

If this conversation sparked ideas or resolve, share it with a parent, teacher, or pastor who cares about kids. Subscribe for more candid talks on education, leave a review to help others find the show, and tell us: what’s your top non-negotiable at home or in your classroom?

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A church that raised leaders now fuels a mayor who leads with neighbors at the center. We sat down with Mayor Lithonia Barnes to unpack a people-first blueprint for Florence: from fireside chats that turn feedback into action, to a citywide march that pairs civic pride with hot grits and a clear call to show up. She shares how honoring Dr. Iola Jones’ legacy became the backbone of a neighborhood plan—an empowerment center, a mental oasis to counter nightly gunfire stress, and housing that restores dignity with quality finishes and resident input.

We go deep on the Oakland Project and beyond: tearing down blight at the gateway to Historic North Florence, investing over $11 million in storm drainage, and partnering with churches and developers to build affordable homes on city land with $25,000 down payment assistance. Barnes outlines how this approach resists gentrification by returning locals to ownership and giving families the tools—credit classes, banking support, and community services—to stay and thrive. The work spreads across all four quadrants with parks, infill, and a “to be continued” promise that no corner is overlooked.

Hard truths meet concrete steps on infrastructure, safety, and mobility. Florence is tackling a $200 million surface-water problem with grants, staged borrowing, and SCADA technology that detects issues early while crews flush lines fast. On crime, drones that launch in under 90 seconds and a growing Flock camera network have helped clear more than 170 cases, complemented by youth programs, officer housing incentives, and accountability for businesses that fuel violence. Transit is now free on county buses, while the airport pursues cargo and international capability to leverage Florence’s rail and highway advantages.

If you care about how cities rebuild trust, honor history, and choose people over ego, this conversation offers a roadmap you can borrow. Subscribe, share with a neighbor who loves their city, and leave a review telling us the first step your community should take next.

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What if the true measure of a church isn’t its size, but the lives it lifts? That question powers a candid, inspiring conversation with Reverend Dr. Charles B. Jackson, who began preaching at nine, became a pastor at eighteen, and has spent 54 years turning faith into tangible change. We go beyond biography to map a blueprint any community can adapt: scholarships for every college-bound student, a former school reborn as an empowerment center, youth sports tethered to tutoring, and a church-run credit union that treats capital as a tool for justice.

We talk about building real economic power—classes on creating generational wealth, a long-view plan for a Believers Millionaire Club by 2045, and why ownership is a moral responsibility. Dr. Jackson explains why his team reopened worship in the old neighborhood after three decades away, acknowledging that some neighbors felt uneasy in a mega-church setting. The result is proximity with purpose: health programs, homelessness services, jobs, and trust flowing back into the blocks that raised him.

The conversation also confronts the national moment with moral clarity. We name the “two Jesuses”—the Jesus of the Bible who centers “the least of these,” and the Americanized version used to sanctify power. Dr. Jackson calls the Black pulpit to recover its voice and outlines an old-school ground game that still wins elections: accountable lists, live phone calls, rides to the polls, and relentless follow-through. Hope here isn’t a slogan; it’s a practice, lived in budgets, schedules, and open doors.

If you care about faith that works, the Black church’s role in civic life, or practical paths to community wealth, this conversation is a handbook. Listen, share it with someone who leads, and tell us: what will you build this year? Subscribe for more stories that turn purpose into power, and leave a review to help others find the show.

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Transforming education through excellence, discipline, and high expectations isn't just a lofty ideal—it's achievable reality, as demonstrated by Dr Brooks remarkable 31-year journey as principal of Wilson High School. This powerful testimony reveals how a predominantly African-American school overcame negative perceptions to become recognized for academic excellence, athletic achievement, and community service.

At just 28 years old, this dedicated educator took the helm of his alma mater with a clear mission: prove that excellence could thrive in any environment. Through strategic initiatives like restructuring schedules to combat tardiness, establishing the "Beatitudes" (be present, be on time, behave, be positive), and creating strong parent-teacher-student partnerships, Wilson High School underwent a profound transformation. The school secured significant recognition, including features in Red Book Magazine and a $500,000 grant from GE.

Perhaps most compelling is Dr. Brooks challenge to harmful narratives that equate academic achievement with "acting white." Excellence knows no color—making A's, speaking proper English, and striving for your best are universal standards worth pursuing. Parents are called to establish high expectations at home, get involved at school, and teach responsibility from an early age. Students are urged to value their education, respect themselves, know their history, and recognize that today's opportunities came at great cost to previous generations who "did more with less." Whether you're an educator, parent, student, or community member, this passionate call to educational excellence offers wisdom that transcends time and circumstance. How will you contribute to creating a culture of excellence in your school, home, and community?

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